Kushiel's Legacy ABC Drabbling
by Lenidrabbles
Summary: 26 drabbles of 100 words each, and each drabble is self-contained. Kushiel's Dart through Kushiel's Mercy. WARNINGS: Same as in the books.
1. Alight Sidonie&Alais

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: A is for Alight  
character(s)/pairing: Sidonie&Alais

_

* * *

_

**TRUE DREAMS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Sidonie looked about her sister's bedroom, smiling at the many Alban artwork pieces. Alais may be half d'Angelline; but her heart had belonged to their father's land ever since she'd first crossed the Straits. "Alais." She approached the bed, feeling eight years old again. And ten. And twelve. And fifteen…. Sidonie chuckled. Alais had always been be late for morning meetings. "Alais!"

Her sister sat up, hair mussed and eyes red.

Sidonie forgot about teasing her. "You've been crying!"

"Just a dream," the girl explained, taking Sidonie's hand. "When you heart is set alight, you'll ignore it." Her grip tightened. "Don't."

* * *

**The End  
**16/04/09

* * *

_I still need prompts for E, G, I, M, N, O, X and Y. Feel free to leave a request here or email me with it. (max 2 per person)_

CANON CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS ONLY!


	2. Bashful Ensemble

Given the requested character, I feel I should make it clear that the drabble is written in Delaunay's pov. Happy reading!

**

* * *

**

**azian_butterfly **requested  
prompt: B is for Bashful  
character(s)/pairing: Joscelin

_

* * *

_

**TRUE DREAMS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

He'd expected chaos. A thundering noise from the library had awoken him; a maid filled him in as he rushed over: in their attempt to reach the uppermost shelf without a ladder, there'd been an accident.

It had to be Phèdre. His dark-haired charge couldn't stay long out of trouble.

Instead he found Alcuin laid on the floor, his head cushioned in Phèdre's lap. "No more climbing," Joscelin muttered as he piled up the scattered books.

Delaunay expected Phèdre's temper to rally, but instead she nodded bashfully. "Alright."

Distrustful, Joscelin eyed her.

Phèdre smirked.

Ah, that was more like them.

* * *

**Next:** C is for Certainty (Ti-Philippe)  
19/06/09

* * *

_I still need prompts for E, G, I, M, N, O, X and Y. Feel free to leave a request here or email me with it. (max 2 per person)_

CANON CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS ONLY!


	3. Certainty TiPhilippe

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: C is for Certainty  
character(s)/pairing: Ti-Philippe

_

* * *

_

**LOYALTY  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

He'd been a lad on a ship. Merry and quick of hand, always with a song on his lips and the memory of some kiss bringing a skip to his step. He'd been so young, then.

She'd been younger.

Phèdre nó Delaunay. Not yet a Comtesse, not even a legendary heroine. One of Naamah's Servants, so rare that even the furthest docks knew her. Kushiel's Dart on a royal mission - and sweet Elua, how all men rushed to fight at her service, certain that death would be sweeter under her auspices.

So many years later, Ti-Philippe still shared that belief.

* * *

**Next:** D is for Dancing (Anafiel/Alcuin)

* * *

_I still need prompts for E, G, I, M, N, O, X and Y. Feel free to leave a request here or email me with it. (max 2 per person)_

CANON CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS ONLY!


	4. Dancing Alcuin&Anafiel

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: D is for Dancing  
character(s)/pairing: Anafiel/Alcuin

_

* * *

_

**LEAD  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"Stop."

Even the musicians stopped at that word. Alcuin and Phèdre froze in place, his paler hands at her waist while hers rested on his shoulder. At fourteen, they already made an astounding sight…. But not to their master's eyes. "Messire Daneu," Delaunay addressed their dance instructor, "What is the meaning of this?" Before the confused man could answer, he pulled the pair aside. "Phèdre, _you_ are not the one to lead, and Alcuin -" He placed the youngster's arms around his own waist. "- you need to be less timid. There. Let's try."

Music began anew.

Alcuin started dancing on clouds.

* * *

**Next:** ??????? See notes at the end.  
18/06/09

* * *

_I still need prompts for **E**, G, I, M, N, O, X and Y. Feel free to leave a request here or email me with it. (max 2 per person)_

CANON CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS ONLY!


	5. Evening PhèdreJoscelin

Thanks for the help to move this baby forward. :) Now I have all the letters and will be posting one drabble daily.

Feedback is LOVED.

**

* * *

**

**ArjetLuna **requested  
prompt: E is for Evening  
character(s)/pairing: Phèdre/Joscelin

_

* * *

_

**BABY STEPS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Joscelin wasn't surprised to find Phèdre in the library at such late hour. Before, though, she had always been perusing some text. "Good evening," he said when she didn't react at his presence.

Phèdre seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts. "Joscelin." She looked up at him, and for the first time he wasn't bothered by the red mark. Not when her eyes spoke of such vulnerability. "Have you been here long?"

He shook his head.

"I should leave." She stood up.

Joscelin put a hand on her shoulder, urged her back onto the couch. "Stay."

He left instead.

* * *

**Next:** F is for Fury (Phèdre/Joscelin)  
27/07/09


	6. Fury Joscelin

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: F is for Fury  
character(s)/pairing: Phèdre/Joscelin

_

* * *

_

**A MAN'S CHARACTER  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Joscelin's anger was slow to rise. Annoyance, yes, at the repeated offers she received. Exasperation, surely, any time an adoring admirer threatened to sleep at their doorstep until Phèdre gifted a kiss. Aggravation, when a flash of vambraces sent the fool away with expedience.

But anger?

Real fury had been witnessed for the last time at Night's Doorstep. A drunken driver had come too close, skittered to a confused halt at Phèdre's scream. Joscelin had marched over to the pale-faced youngster who'd sobered abruptly when he recognized them.

Yes, a slow process. But when Joscelin's anger rose, it rose true.

* * *

**Next:** G is for Gastronomy (Phèdre/Joscelin)  
17/07/09


	7. Gastronomy PhèdreJoscelin

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: G is for Gastronomy  
character(s)/pairing: Phèdre/Joscelin

_

* * *

_

**A GAP IN SCHOOLING**  
_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Joscelin swallowed. A slow movement that left behind no expression.

"You don't like it," Phèdre surmised, watching him closely. She lowered the spoon back into the stew, scooped a bit from the edges to try it herself.

Joscelin's blankness cracked at her sputtering reaction. "Now, Phèdre." He took the spoon from her, left it on the counter. Then he passed an arm around her shoulders and led her back into the living room, motioning behind her back at Eugénie to get rid of the pot. "All the skills Delauney taught you, and he never thought to give you a cookbook?"

* * *

**Next: **H is for Harp (Alais/Conor)  
27/07/09


	8. Harp AlaisConor

**jeweledhibiscus **requested  
prompt: H is for Harp  
character(s)/pairing: Alais/Conor

_

* * *

_

**UNDESIRED PARALLEL**  
_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Alais couldn't stop her legs more than if magic bound her as it did Imriel. Many nights she'd heard the sound, sweet and melancholy, soothing and yet so mysterious it roused her from the deepest sleep without fail. "Conor." Music halted. "No," she whispered, coming closer. "Pray continue."

The harpist obeyed her request.

"By the next full moon, I'll have left your mother's house."

Lower notes spoke of…

Alais shook her head. "In Terre d'Ange, we strive to follow Elua's path."

"Love as thou wilt."

"I love Alba."

"And so you'll marry Talorcan."

"Yes."

"Like your cousin married Dorelei."

"…Yes."

* * *

**Next: **I is for Insipid (Phèdre/Childric d'Essoms)  
19/06/09


	9. Insipid Childric d'Essoms

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: I is for Insipid  
character(s)/pairing: Phèdre/Childric d'Essoms

_

* * *

_

**INSIPID**  
_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"Close your eyes." Her eyelashes are black and thick. D'Essoms traces them, brushing the soft skin underneath. "So white," he murmurs, fascinated by the contrast.

His other hand rips down her gown, grabs her before tossing her onto the bed. "Keep them closed," he warns.

Of course she obeys. He's paid dearly for a night with her.

The sweetness of her skin fades when his lips find a scar (not Phèdre), when he remembers her unmarked eyes (not Phèdre), when her moan fails to convey infinite pleasure at his rough touch (_not Phèdre_).

"Go away."

The Valerian adept trembles.

"GO!"

* * *

**Next: **J is for Jesting (Imriel&Joscelin)  
28/07/09


	10. Jesting Imriel&Joscelin

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: J is for Jesting  
character(s)/pairing: Imri&Joscelin

_

* * *

_

**MAN TO MAN  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Amused, Joscelin watched his son digest his words. Imri's childhood may have been lost in a demon's abode and then recovered in the search for an angel's weakness. But in the fifteen years since, Imriel de la Courcel had never looked so flummoxed.

"Indeed, you are jesting!" The braids Mavros had talked him into ("Come, Imri. Sidonie will appreciate some variety for her anniversary night") shook with vigor.

Joscelin chuckled. "Indeed, I am not."

"So you're saying that if I…. Sidonie will…."

Joscelin nodded.

Imriel's mouth hung agape. "Sex advice from a Cassiline," he muttered, "_Now_ I've seen it all."

* * *

**Next: **K is for Kiss (Amarante/Mavros)  
18/06/09


	11. Kiss AmaranteMavros

**azian_butterfly **requested  
prompt: K is for Kiss  
character(s)/pairing: Mavros/Amarante

_

* * *

_

**THE GAMES WE PLAY  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"My lord Shahrizai."

Her head bowed, her hands joined in a deferent position at her navel, Amarante's game was as obvious as his own interest. He closed the distance in-between, caressed her hair and smiled when she sought his touch. "No," he hardened his voice, willing himself to play the role, "Don't move."

She obeyed.

"You are Naamah's priestess now," he murmured, drawing her closer, "far above a mere cousin of a Prince of the Blood." He kissed her brow. "Why?"

She said nothing. Good. He hadn't told her to speak.

"Kneel before me, priestess."

Kushiel be praised. _She obeyed_.

* * *

**Next: **L is for Lust (Melisande/Phèdre)  
19/06/09


	12. Lust MelisandePhèdre

**ein_myria **requested  
prompt: L is for Lust  
character(s)/pairing: Melisande/Phèdre_

* * *

_

**ENCOUNTER  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Even here, in this damp prison where her soles stick to the stone floor and her nose resents the very air it breathes; even thoroughfully defeated, Phèdre calls to her like the moon calls the tides. _'Indeed,'_ Melisande thinks, stepping into the cell, _'the flame must have been just as enamored as the moth.'_

Hurt. Furious. Betrayed.

Aroused.

Yes, between her and Phèdre, simple human emotions must wash away in the flood of Kushiel's true purpose for the two of them.

Book and scholar. Marble and artisan.

There can be no denial, no escape… until Phèdre, stubborn Phèdre, finds one.

* * *

**Next: **M is for Magnanimous (Melisande)  
18/06/09


	13. Magnanimous Melisande

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: M is for Magnanimous  
character(s)/pairing: Melisande_

* * *

_

**MAGNANIMITY  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"Do we kill this one?"

A rough man. A rough voice. Melisande lets a wave of disgust wash over her, but doesn't betray such a thought. These men are pawns. Bought today and forgotten tomorrow.

"Milady?" His sword points at the body in his partner's grasp.

Even unconscious, Phèdre's Cassiline has more grace than the brute handling him. Melisande looks at him for a long moment. Without his weapons, abandoned of the superior expression that constantly graces his face, Joscelin looks… young.

She is not heartless.

"No," she decides. Phèdre could use the company until Melisande goes to reclaim her.

* * *

**Next: **N is for Nuance (Nicola/Phèdre)  
27/07/09


	14. Nuance NicolaPhèdre

**herticalvision **requested  
prompt: N is for Nuance  
character(s)/pairing: Nicola/Phèdre_

* * *

_

**NUANCES  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Nicola understands of love. Motherly love, as she kisses her sons' cheeks and claps when they reenact a chapter of Aragonian history. Family love, as she keeps a sharp ear at the court in order to protect Ysandre's throne.

A woman's love.

"You needed that, didn't you?" she asks, her own voice an unintentional purr, as she unties the knot at Phèdre's ankles.

Phèdre nods lazily.

"And yet you'll return to your Cassiline."

Phèdre twists enough to face her.

Nicola tightens the knot again, bends to kiss the answer away. She needs not hear it.

She understands Phèdre's loves too.

* * *

**Next: **O is for Opulent (Court of Night-Blooming Flowers)  
28/07/09


	15. Opulence Court of NightBlooming Flowers

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: O is for Opulence  
character(s)/pairing: Court of Night-Blooming Flowers_

* * *

_

**13  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Thirteen creeds.

One goddess at their center.

Call her an angel, call her a temptress or a virgin or a healer or a sacrifice. The name in all their lips is _Naamah_. For her name's sake they shall seek the unloved, tend to the soul wounds, free the darkest desires and guide them into full blossom.

Thirteen paths.

That take their patrons to the same destiny.

A night in ecstasy. A escape from reality. Rooms of silk and jade, gold and marble; the whisper of ever-young flowers floating in the breeze.

In Terre d'Ange, thirteen was the number of passion.

* * *

**Next: **P is for Petulant (Joscelin/Phèdre)  
27/07/09


	16. Petulant Joscelin&Phèdre

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: P is for Petulant  
character(s)/pairing: Author's choice_

* * *

_

**FIRST IMPRESSIONS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Joscelin wondered how the woman who left gaping admirers on her wake could behave so childishly. Through chattering teeth, her lips still curled in disapproval. She'd claimed to keep Alcuin company, kept her silence; but Joscelin could _feel_ her glare.

Alcuin clapped when he finished; Joscelin smiled in thanks.

Phèdre looked cross at her friend's obvious admiration. "I've seen the Dauphine's guard do more impressive training."

"Flashier," Joscelin corrected.

"I don't know what Delaunay sees in you," she sniffed.

He swept his gaze over the bulky cloak swallowing her. "I could say the same about Terre d'Ange peerage and you."

* * *

**Next: **Q is for Quiet (Drustan/Ysandre)  
01/07/09


	17. Quiet DrustanYsandre

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: Q is for Quiet  
character(s)/pairing: Drustan/Ysandre_

* * *

_

**THE APPLE OF HIS EYE  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Violet eyes took in the nursery scene.

Drustan had never looked happier. Or more awkward as he tried to figure where to place his hands to lift the two-month-old baby. He'd tried to cross the Straits sooner; Elua knew he had. But Alban politics cared none for a pregnant queen or an early birth. "I thought you'd be here," she said, stepping forward.

"I was afraid I'd dreamed her." But he still looked perplexed.

"You've carried babies before," she laughed quietly, less Sidonie awoke.

Dark eyes - so like his daughter's - widened as he shook his head solemnly. "But never _mine_."

* * *

**Next: **R is for Regret (Melisande)  
17/06/09


	18. Regret Melisande

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: R is for Regret  
character(s)/pairing: Melisande_

* * *

_

**REGRETS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

She'd been given beauty, and she'd spent her tender years investigating it. Her hands had explored her mouth's bow, the slant of her own eyes, every single muscle until her face couldn't betray her.

She'd been given intelligence, and she'd exchanged puzzles and riddles with the peerage and gave them answers in exchange for their own secrets.

She'd been given fortune, and audacity, and ambition. She dealt them carefully in her search for the power just beyond her fingertips.

Then she was given Phèdre….

Kushiel's handmaiden. Perfect instrument for her well-educated hands.

…and Phèdre drifted like sand through her fingers.

* * *

**Next: **S is for Snow (Imriel&Sidonie)  
17/06/09


	19. Snow Imriel&Sidonie

**jeweledhibiscus **requested  
prompt: S is for Snow  
character(s)/pairing: Imriel&Sidonie_

* * *

_

**CHILDHOOD GAMES  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Imriel looked around the snow-covered grounds. The Palace gardens were beautiful even in winter, the flowerbeds quiet in their seasonal sleep while some evergreens cheered the otherwise empty space. Too empty. "Where did you get yourself?" he muttered.

"Lost my sister again?" Sidonie asked from the rock bench, her book perfectly poised on her lap. Her dark eyes shone with triumph, though. "Maybe you'd rather stay in Montrève next winter, Prince Imriel. It'd be quiet---eeek!" The Dauphine abandoned elegance as she whirled around, simultaneously sweeping snow from the back of her neck. "ALAIS!"

The eight-year-old laughed. "You looked hot?"

* * *

**Next: **T is for Tantrum (Imriel)  
18/06/09


	20. Tantrum Imriel

**kateera **requested  
prompt: T is for Tantrum  
character(s)/pairing: Imriel_

* * *

_

**CHILD-REARING  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"Can't we stay? I… I don't like the City."

Joscelin looked pleased. "From the mouth of babes…" he said, meeting Phèdre's annoyed eyes with a grin.

"But, darling." She moved toward him. Imriel stepped back, knowing that after a hug he'd be willing to travel back into the depths of Jebe-Barkal. Phèdre arched an eyebrow. "Is this a tantrum?" she asked Joscelin.

He shrugged. "Not like yours, my love."

She chuckled at his comment and turned back to their son. "Imri," - her voice turned serious - "Ysandre herself requested our presence."

"But…." At twelve, he already recognized a lost battle. "Fine."

* * *

**Next: **U is for Undercurrents (Imriel&Mavros)  
18/06/09


	21. Undercurrents Imriel&Mavros

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: U is for Undercurrents  
Character(s)/pairing: Imriel&Mavros_

* * *

_

**HIS PARENTS' SON  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"Sidonie de la Courcel," Mavros whistled. "You are truly Phèdre and Joscelin's son; nothing's done by halves."

"And I take the difficult path at every turn." Imriel smiled. "Don't tell them that; they wouldn't understand."

Mavros didn't understand either. His cousin was a beloved puzzle, with features that spoke of his Kusheline ancestry and a unmovable inner strength from his father's line. Deeper still, the undercurrents of unshakeable loyalty and impetuous temerity were his foster parents' heritance.

Melisande had risked Terre d'Ange for love; Joscelin had risked his very soul.

To what lengths would Imriel go?

Mavros feared the answer.

* * *

**Next: **V is for Voyeur (Hyacinthe)  
18/06/09


	22. Voyeur Hyacinthe

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: V is for Voyeur  
Character(s)/pairing: Hyacinth_

* * *

_

**unREAL, unHERE  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

He was elsewhere, watching a flame of fire shoot up into the dark sky as melancholy tones of old tongues sang of grief. He ran his hands across Phèdre's back. He accepted Phèdre's kiss, vanishing the 'I understand' from her lips with his own. He mouthed the name of another darkhaired girl into the kiss, let it escape his breath as he kissed fervently the curve down Phèdre's neck.

He was elsewhere, closing his eyes against the funeral pyre's blaze. So he turned towards them, him and Phèdre. No less than love; but not more either.

Bodies. Touch. Dreams-come-true.

Irony.

* * *

**Next: **W is for Wandering (Amarante/Mavros)  
01/07/09


	23. Wandering AmaranteMavros

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: W is for Wandering  
Character(s)/pairing: Amarante/Mavros_

* * *

_

**NAAMAH'S PATH  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Naamah's Servants offered all or nothing. They loved, they cared and they lusted for each patron, or they didn't take them at all. Yet the way of Naamah's priesthood started with a harder choice, the one where choice was left behind. Just like Naamah had done when she decided to follow Elua in his wanderings.

For a year, Amarante would follow this precept. No favorites, no rejections, no hesitance. After that -

"What's that smile for?" Mavros asked. "I'm not distracting enough?" His braids trailed along her stomach. "Well. Then I'll show you distracting."

After that, maybe there'd be another favorite.

* * *

**Next: **X is for Xenium (Quintillus Rousse)  
01/07/09


	24. Xenium Rousse

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: X is for Xenium  
Character(s)/pairing: Quintillus Rousse _

* * *

_

**DOUBTING MAN  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Oh, how he'd laughed in his quarters those first nights. One wisp of a girl, cursed (or blessed, said some) by Kushiel's own hand. One Tsingani, hot-blooded and half in charge of his sailors before Rousse could think to stop him. And one Cassiline - Rousse shook his head at the seasick boy. "Elua have mercy on us."

At Innisclan, Rousse was forced to revise his opinion. The twins had been presented with Terre d'Ange's finest and richest. Yet their gray-green eyes strayed only to Phèdre nó Delaunay.

If this mad plan worked, Rousse himself would peregrinate devotedly through Naamah's temples.

* * *

**Next: **Y is for Yearn (Elua)  
28/07/09


	25. Yearn Elua

**hereticalvision **requested  
prompt: Y is for Yearn  
Character(s)/pairing: Elua

* * *

**...AND HIS COMPANIONS  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

Naamah and Eisheth had their arms linked, walking ahead as their brothers argued about their teachings to the humans. Too much. Too little. What was right?

When they asked for his opinion, Elua smiled in reassurance. "Humans yearn for comfort. They shall learn what they need to obtain it."

"What if they learn more?"

The group halted at Cassiel's voice.

Camael and Kushiel came to stand at Elua's sides, their tempers showing. But Elua touched their arms, and they were calm. "Is that a bad thing, my friend?"

At the openness in Elua's eyes, Cassiel couldn't but shake his head.

* * *

**Next: **Z is for Zeal (Ysandre)  
28/07/09

* * *


	26. Zeal Ysandre

**ladymora **requested  
prompt: Z is for Zeal  
Character(s)/pairing: Ysandre

* * *

**LOVE AS THOU WILT  
**_by Leni_

_

* * *

_

"My child." Ganelon de la Courcel knew that his days were counted and recent rumors around the Palace made him fear about the fate of the country. "Is it true?" D'Angelline women had the right of choice. But not the Dauphine. Ysandre must choose someone fit, not…. "Alba is on the brink of war, and even if it weren't…."

"Zealots would cry at the mix of royal blood," Ysandre stated wryly. "But doesn't Elua's precept apply to us all? Yes, I choose Necthana's son." Violet eyes warmed. "And he chooses me, as well."

Ganelon sighed. "Elua guard us all, then."

* * *

  
18/06/09

* * *

**Author's note:**

Well, that's all. For now.

If you ever find one of my Request Time posts at kitteninthedark dot livejournal dot com, PLEASE request _Kushiel's Legacy_. I love writing about this world, but I'm usually too lazy to do it without a prompt.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll leave some feedback - and if you mention your favorite drabbles, it'd be GREAT.

K&S  
Leni


End file.
